A PRESTWICK support group is teaming up with Prestwick Airport to make it easier for people living with dementia.

Along with Alzheimer’s Scotland, Dementia Friendly Prestwick (DFP) will be working with the airport to help it become dementia friendly.

Jim Baird, the locality manager for Alzheimer’s Scotland, explained: “We want to make the airport as dementia friendly as possible and make it sensitive linked with Dementia Friendly Prestwick and training the staff.”

He said that the partnership will help the staff become more tolerant and aware of what it means to live with dementia. In particular, the impact and confusion that affects people living with dementia can be 'minimised by good design'.

Mr Baird said:“The training will involve different exercises that highlight the need to move away from thinking that people with dementia are simply forgetting things, when it is not just that.

“The airport wants their staff to be taught tactics and be better trained and prepared for when people with dementia are stressed and help them be more aware of their surroundings.

“Someone with dementia can become easily confused by, for example, the grey barrier rail that zig zags to the check-in desk. Things that are highly decorative are also confusing.

“This can be changed to a different colour – you need to create a contrast. If there is a white mug on a white table, it is confusing, but if it is a green mug on a white table, it is easier.

“The airport is working with us to film around the building so we can point out what is a good design and was is a bad design. When we highlight the bad, it just means that it may not be suitable for those with dementia.

“What will be of great benefit to this is that they are happy for the video to be done. We are going to show it to the whole business sector of Prestwick at the Carlton Hotel later in the year and they can take this information back and see if they can do anything to help make their shops dementia friendly.

“That is the lovely benefit that will come of the video – that businesses will have a reference point from the airport.

“Alzheimer’s Scotland have found that the partnership has been one of the most constructive and engaging, creating a truly dementia friendly community - it will be a nice blueprint for the towns.”

Mr Baird adds that he is hopeful that the Carlton Hotel may be creating dementia friendly bedrooms and that other hotels and businesses in Ayrshire take note from this and continue to create a dementia friendly community.

Jane Thomson, Prestwick Airport’s Landside Operations Manager, added: “As an organisation, we continuously strive on making our services as efficient as possible.

"With air travel being a concern for many of our passengers with different disabilities including hidden disabilities, inviting them in to experience first-hand what is expected of them at the airport relieves feeling of anxiety and allows them to feel confident about undertaking their journey.”